Missing Ryder
by Anonymoose25
Summary: The crew can't find their Pathfinder, and discover she's preoccupied with something more "personal" on the bridge.


The door to the bridge of the Tempest opens with a click and the hiss of hydraulics.

"Have you guys seen Ryder?" Liam's voice calls from the doorway.

"She was here a little while ago, but she disappeared when I checked an alert on my console." Kallo's head slightly cocks to the side as he thinks. "She must have gotten an urgent message from SAM in her head or something. I would check her quarters I suppose".

"Haven't seen her either Liam!" Suvi's voice calls over, rather quickly.

"That's where I just was, she wasn't there either. Oh well, I guess I'll keep looking. Thanks guys." Liam says as he turns to leave the bridge and continue his search.

He is stopped by the sound of sharp inhalation of breath, coming from Suvi's direction.  
"You ok over there?" he asks, making sure the sound wasn't anything to worry about.  
"Ohhh yeah, I'm just, ah, not feelin' too well. Must'a ate something that disagreed with me. Thanks though" she says, as quickly as before.  
"Sure" he says, and leaves.

Kallo returns his attention to piloting, and out of the corner of his eye, sees that Suvi is making the usual sort of motions involved in her astrogation and ship's sensor suite managing, but something seems a little off. She is pausing and freezing still every 10 seconds or so, as if something is completely distracting her, before she seems to snap out of it and continue to work. Odd, he thinks to himself, but nothing noteworthy. She reported to Liam that she may not be feeling well today, so that must explain it.

A moment later, however, his concentration is broken by a slight moan coming from the opposite side of the bridge, that sounded like it was purposely quickly silenced, so only lasted a half a second. Enough to notice, however.

"Everything ok over there?" Kallo asks, concerned his fellow bridge crew mate really must not be feeling well today.

"Oh, fine Kallo. T'ings are great over here; more than great, actually" she replies.

They're interrupted by Jaal, Cora, Liam, and Lexi all opening the door together.

Lexi speaks up first, "Liam came by and asked if I had seen Ryder, and I realized I had not seen her for a while. When everyone asked each other, we all had not seen her. She's not in engineering or her quarters or the refresher. I'm a bit worried, where and why would she be hiding? I'm concerned something may have happened, maybe with SAM or something".

At this, a faint groan is heard, from the front of the bridge, but definitely not from Suvi herself. It sounded more like...under her console.

"No, wait, they'll go away in a second" Suvi whispers...to herself? To her computer in front of her? The crew can't quite tell.

At this, a supremely embarrassed and red faced Sara stands up from under Suvi's nav console. "Hey guys! Fancy meeting you here..."

Suvi is looking down and away, covering her embarrassed and equally red face in her hand.

"So..." Sara continues "what did you need from me again? Something about Aya?" Sara's voice wavers nervously.

"Ohhhhh" Liam says with a grin on his face, as he backs out of the doorway. "Nothing Ryder, I'll catch up with you later".

"Is this normal for human vessels? We Angarans usually kept fraternization for off duty hours" Jaal states frankly but with a hint of teasing.

"Ugh! I'm right here!" Kallo says, bewildered at the revelation as to what was happening a couple meters away from himself without his knowledge.

"I told you it was a bad idea Ryder..." Suvi says, her face still hidden.

"I'm happy for you both" Lexi begins, "but you should keep your personal time to off duty hours, like Jaal says" Her lecturing, matter-of-fact doctor voice contrasting the amused reactions of the others.

"Yes ma'am, of course ma'am. Won't happen again" Ryder says quickly, wanting this moment to be over more than anything. Maybe a Kett attack will save her.

"Alright, I'm glad we found you. And...sorry to interrupt" Lexi says before turning to leave.

"SAM?" Sara says quietly

"Yes, Pathfinder?"" SAM's monotone voice answers.

"Can we test your ability to kill me again? But this time, don't wake me up?"


End file.
